In February 2011, The Queen gave her formal approval to the appointment of The Duke as Royal Colonel of the Irish Guards. It is The Duke’s first honorary appointment in the Army, and His Royal Highness has become the Irish Guards’ first Royal Colonel. The Queen is Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment.

Kate was given a nosegay when she and William arrived at the Barracks.

Stephen Lock / i-Images / Polaris

Shortly after arriving the Duke and Duchess stepped to the reviewing stand to watch the 300 Battalion members on parade.

This is the ‘Persephone,’ made of a rayon/wool blend. The official color name is ‘pine,’ the garment has all of the classic trench elements: epaulets, storm flaps, and double-breasted styling. Kate elected not to use the self-belt that came with the coat, instead wearing a textured leather belt that looked about 1″ wide. The coat was originally priced at £279 ($490), it is now on sale for £195 ($345), still available in some sizes on the Hobbs UK site. The size selection is better on the US site, with most still available as of this writing.

Hobbs offered other items in the Persephone ‘multi-pine’ colorway: the dress and blouse appear to be sold out, a coat remains available as of midday. Those who remember their Greek mythology will recall that Persephone is the goddess of the underworld, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. (Full disclosure: I had to look up Demeter.)

Hobbs/House of Fraser/Hobbs

Kate accessorized with her green Gina Foster hat, most recently seen on Christmas Day.

i-Images/Polaris and Polaris Images

Kate’s jewelry today included the Cartier shamrock brooch first worn by Queen Alexandra in 1901 when she visited the Guards. The Queen Mother then took up the tradition of wearing it on St. Patrick’s Day, Princess Anne wore it for St. Patrick’s Day ceremonies with the Guards after the Queen Mother’s Death and now Kate wears it for the same event. The Duchess also sported her Kiki McDonough cushion cut green amethyst earrings and Tissot watch.

Polaris/Kiki McDonough/Polaris

The Duchess appeared to be wearing a new pair of Emmy Shoes and carrying a new clutch, both in a deep forest green. Emmy confirmed the shoes were a new pair of theirs on Twitter; I’ve not yet heard back from them regarding a specific color name.

Polaris Images/Splash News

The shoe is the Valerie model (£400, roughly $650) Kate is fond of, she has worn the style in a rich chocolate brown as well as carbon gray. The bag style is Emmy’s Natasha style, (£290, about $480).

UPDATED 3.20.2014 I have heard back from Emmy Shoes. As many readers believed, Kate was wearing the carbon grey shoes and carrying the carbon gray clutch, not new items in a deep green as many of us thought. Both the shoes and the clutch have been seen previously, the Duchess used the carbon grey accessories when in her Matthew Williamson dress for the Tusk Trust.

Weir Photos/Splash News

Kate is wearing a belt that I do not recognize, although several people believe it is one they have seen previously. (In the interest of getting the post published I will check on that element of the ensemble later and update as appropriate.) Below, we see Kate in 2012, 2013 (when she was expecting Prince George) and then today.

Splash/Splash/Polaris

The Duke and Duchess then visited the Guardsmens’ cookhouse, having lunch in the Officers’ Mess. It’s mere speculation, but my sense is this is one of Kate and William’s favorite engagements.

Stephen Lock/i-Images/Polaris

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We have multiple updates on Kate items that have been re-issued and/or restocked.

Another favored shoe style, the black Pied a Terre ‘Imperia’ is back in stock at Dune London. The wedge/espadrille is also available in navy and red, I did not see the off-white being offered. The Imperia is priced at $140 (£85).

Another item now available for purchase online, the Roland Mouret gown Kate has worn on two occasions; it is offered at Net-a-Porter.

Net-a-Porter

The Duchess wore the gown in December of last year to the Nelson Mandela film premiere and in May, 2012 for a dinner at Claridge’s with William. (NOTE: The gown the designer’s ‘Lombard’ style, however it is called the ‘Ella’ on the Net-a-Porter site, I am not entirely clear why that is the case.) The wool crepe gown is priced at $4610.

Also today, another ID on an older item, the clutch Kate carried to the wedding of Lady Rose Windsor and George Gilman in 2008.

The bag is by John Lewis.

Photo via My Small Obsessions

Our thanks to Ashley Marie for the ID on this item.

One final note: we are making minor changes to the site so we are as prepared as possible for the increase in traffic we will have during the April tour. Unfortunately that is creating problems for some of you, and I want to apologize. If you have any difficulty getting the blog to load, please try refreshing the URL a few times; this has worked for us. I am *so* sorry for the hassle factor, we expect to have the issue corrected within the next day or two.

63 Responses to “Kate In New Green Ensemble for Irish Guards St. Patrick’s Day Ceremonies UPDATED: Shoe/Clutch Info”

I got my Hobbs coat in size UK8 from ebay (my first ever purchase from the duchess outfits) which arrived yesterday and even though I paid full price I’m very pleased with it. I found a seller which accepted returns in case I didn’t like it, by there was no need. It’s a lovely classic coat in dark green, not as bright as in the photos of the duchess which makes sense why the carbon emmy shoes looked greenish as also the coat photographed brighter.
The shade is more like the one on the model in the hobbs website and I found the colour to be very versatile, I already thought of many shades from charcoal, to bright green and borwn dresses in my closet that the coat will compliment very well.

I also think that the duchess had the coat shorted a little bit. Having bought it in the size she has I can see that the length is definitely longer competed to her coat. I will probably also have it shorted a little bit when I have a chance as i think it looks better this way.

Susan, I know there is no id on the belt, but do you think its green or dark grey?

Do you know if anyone has suggested a good alternative of the belt on line?

For whoever got the coat it’s nice to have the belt to change the look the coat into sth more dressy.

Thanks. I’ve always been reluctant to buy clothing from ebay but the coat was authentic and with the tags so it put my worries aside.

Everybody thought the same about the shoes, I could have sworn they were green. But knowing they are now grey somehow the belt still looks green.

You haven’t seen any good copy of the belt on Pinterest or sth like that?

I’ve had a look but haven’t seen anything yet.

P.S? After your post I’ve bought her Mercie Maman charm neckless for my non identical twin baby boys and I wear it almost daily. It’s lovely and unusual in the sense that you can add the names and initial of your children and your husband. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to buy it, it puts a smile on my face when I see it.

Today my British husband wearing a practically identical belt to the duchess but in dark brown, and he apparently got it from Aspinal of London many years ago.
Is it possible to ask them if the belt is theirs?

Knowing the duchess has their eaton clutch and the fact that they are a British traditional brand which makes classic belts, it might be worth checking if this is possible.

Got the last Persephone Coat from the Hobbs Website in Size 10 – such a stunning coat – very very happy with it!
The only think I want to say it that the Duchess cut the length a little bit – and so do I – looks better than the original length of the Coat

What great news you were able to find a Persephone in your size! Thank you for the tip on length, I know that will be helpful for those still interested in the coat, perhaps looking on eBay or elsewhere.

I thought Kate looked great — and am surprised as well that the shoes and the clutch are carbon grey….again, the greenest grey I have seen as well.

I’d like to pipe in on the Corkswoon wedges — I was FINALLY able to obtain these shoes this spring and have a tip.

My suggestion for you is you purchase these shoes from Stuart Weitzman directly. The additional $14 is worth it — the Zappo’s version does not come with the grommet on the back, despite the pictures and the material is very stiff. I actually purchased from both because I wasn’t sure about the size. While waiting for the Zappo’s pair, I received the SW online version and thought the size was good, but I had horrible, dare I say it, shoe farts! I was heart-broken. Luckily for me, I have a SW store within a 30 min drive and I went with my shoes there. I was assured that the size was correct and they worked with me to add extra padding that eliminated the shoe farts for free. Can’t get that from Zappos.

Needless to say, I returned the Zappos Corkswoons and am very happy with the SW version – with the grommets!

It wasn’t all bad for Zappos however, last year, I was able to purchase the Minx sandals via Zappos and these were perfect.

For the record, Desserts and Shoes — gotta have them both! I have a confession — I also have the Pied-A-Terre wedges in black (dying for them to come back in Natural), plus the Aquatalia booties, the Sebago boat shoes, and the LK Bennett wedges. I know, I’m sick. I really do need help at this point. I only thank God that I am not thin because then I would be buying her clothes too!

I love that you have all of her shoes. So do I! Except I have the natural Pied-A-Terre wedges and I want the black! I also have the LK Bennett Sybila pumps… the Sledge was just to high for me to walk in and the Sybila is PERFECT.

Lindsay,
I am so jelly on your acquisition of the natural Pied-A-Terre wedges. I actually did buy them at one point, but in the wrong size (too big), so I am still waiting for them to come in at the smaller size. Ugh. I don’t have the Sledges, just don’t have the use for pumps. I have the Maddox wedges in black and taupe (the newer version of the black Greta wedges that Kate actually has).

I have a lot of her earrings too. The jewelry is what’s putting me in the poor house! Good thing I am single — no husband to fight with on finances.. I have no self-control when it comes to this woman. I need an intervention.

I feel completely mystified by the shoes update — that’s the greenest looking carbon grey I’ve ever seen. So, am I right in assuming that possibly the most photographed woman on the planet at the moment hasn’t had a single new pair of smart pumps in the past — what? — five years?

Mystified is just the right word, ElizaMo. Even armed with the new information, I still find those shoes and clutch appear green on my monitor. Which has me wondering if they have magical chameleon-like qualities.

The Duchess truly does have a concise shoe collection. Certainly if you stick to high-quality pairs in neutral tones like she does you really don’t need that many. However, in my own experience, need and want are two very different verbs, and my shoe collection definitely betrays how often I give into shoe cravings. Perhaps the Duchess just isn’t a shoe girl? Of course, I feel a bit like Jess in New Girl when she discovers Nick’s girlfriend “isn’t a dessert person.” Who isn’t a dessert person?! Who isn’t a shoe person?!

I’m not a dessert person — no sweet tooth (I know, I know: I must be either an alien or a mutant) — but I AM a shoe person. On the other hand, I stick to pretty classic shoes in classic colors, like the Duchess, so they can be worn for years.

I have to agree on the color of her St. Patrick’s Day shoes: I could have sworn they were green.

I’m another who prefers owning classic shoes in classic colours, but I have been puzzled when the same pair is being worn by Kate enough times to look quite creased and even blackened on the soles – I think the nude LK Bennett sledges may be the worst offenders. Over on Facebook there was a hint to take another look at our own WKW shoe poll for 2012 (hope I got the link below). That helpfully reminds me that such as the R&B Park Avenue pumps are a good double for the LKB pair, so I am reassured that some shoes are in fact being refreshed!

A “concise shoe collection” is such an apt phrase for the circumstance, thanks! I myself enjoy both desserts shoes — the latter to the point where I have in the past been accused of buying shoes first and then looking for the outfit to match.

In her turn, Kate has such amazing natural good looks I have to try to check myself at times from looking for runway-model perfection on every outing, when she is of course a working royal and very wise to stick to the classics – and a concise shoe collection

This reminds me of one of her Reiss coats…it looked green in some pictures and totally gray on Reiss website. I think our color queen Lili once pointed that out as well? I can’t remember extactly..Anyway, I love Kate’s shoe collection and wish I were as consistent as she is when it comes to pick out classic pieces that last…I am always drawn to more novelty design and colorful choices, shoes or clothes.

Thanks for reading and for commenting. The comments that are “replies” to another comment are included in the number you see at the top of the comments, in this case 36, but they are not shown with separate numbers. (Hopefully this makes sense.)

I’m with those that find the color ‘mis-match’ to be intriguing / interesting rather than off-putting. Perhaps this is a novice question (I am definitely a fashion novice!!), but is the disjoint about texture as much as it is about color? I mean, I see that there is a color difference, but I wonder about the different fabrics and how they work (or don’t work) together? Difficult to assess from only photo evidence, I realize…

I don’t perceive a fabric mismatch at all. It’s the color clash that bothers me — the yellow-based green and the blue-based green just don’t quite work together, in my view — and frankly, I also don’t think that style of hat quite works with the style of the coat. It’s a bit difficult to explain, since my reaction was really more instinctive than anything else, but somehow the combination of that hat and that coat seems “off” to me.

However, we have a lot of disagreements of taste here. They are always interesting to read.

I love reading the differences in taste; they are always interesting, yes. That’s the fun!
Thanks for the reply. It really was a genuine question and I so value perspective from people who’ve thought about this subject much more than I have

Kristin, you were right that fabric is important, even if there isn’t a mismatch here. I just find that it is easier to select appropriate fabrics than colors: stores usually sell summer fabrics in the summer (ditto for other seasons) and to a certain extent fabric choice is intuitive in a way that color choice isn’t (for example, it would probably never occur to you to wear linen in winter or wool in the summer, for obvious reasons). Problems can still occur, however, as many WKW commenters pointed out when the Duchess wore the satin Temperley Noa coat for Remembrance Sunday, with many saying that satin is not an appropriate fabric for a day event. As much as I loved that coat, I did agree that it looked like a garment designed to be worn over a cocktail gown at a fancy night event.

Such a lovely coat and the Duchess looks great in the whole outfit. I suppose it wouldn’t be playing fair to suggest that maybe some could get tired of seeing the same heavy tone of green each year — especially given that no-one else at the event is able to resort to any noticeable updates in their attire. In short, Kate leads the styles stakes in St Patrick’s Day outfits!

I think this is a beautiful outfit, and am so glad to see that she has trimmed a few inches from her hair. It makes a lot of difference. The color variation between the hat and shoes and dress doesn’t bother me. It reminds me of when Kate visited Place2Be in November. The jacket and skirt were a true navy, and the gloves, clutch and shoes were a bit closer to royal blue. Though I wasn’t a fan of that outfit, I did really like the color contrast, and I think it works here as well. I would even say that this is an example of Kate being “fashion forward,” though not dramatically so.

I really enjoyed this engagement.. I’m glad to see the royal couple together, they’re beautiful and happy. I like Kate’s ensamble, I adore the shoes. Maybe the hat is too much. I’m from Italy, we don’t usually wear hats in formal events..
Anyway, I would prefer another colour.

Another winning coat from Kate — I love the military-style detailing and the colour is so good on her. Hobbs is such a reliable label. I’m sort-of getting used to the longer length of the hem as I look at more photos. Those longer hems have a 1940s resonance when I think the footwear was correspondingly clumpier all round, and these days boots might create a better balance.

However I’m overjoyed at a new pair of shoes – it’s beyond me to understand how someone could attempt to finish off outfits, sometimes expensive but generally carefully thought-through, with footwear showing clear signs of wear. I don’t know if we’ve seen any new pumps since the engagement – the only new formal footwear I can recall are the Jimmy Choo sandals worn in LA.

I love that hat, worn with Kate’s usual panache, and her hair is looking much improved, and the better for a short trim.

You win the prize for correctly spotting that the shoes WEREN’T green, nice work! The one thing that was clear to me from these photos and those of the DM was that photographs don’t always transmit true colors, and since her skin tone was different in multiple shots, it seemed reasonable that the colors might appear clashing when in reality it wasn’t as noticeable. But even in looking at the shoes after the update, they definitely look green in some, making me wonder if the photo editors were making assumptions and Photoshopping…

I really wouldn’t think so. It’s probably the light and the combination with the coat.

In my opinion the coat and the shoes combine really nice, although it’s not the most obvious way of possible combo’s keeping her shoe collection in mind. The combination of the shoes with the Matthew Williamson dress was also just right, especially since that dress seems really difficult to combine with any other colour.

To our faithful scribe Susan, thank you for this great coverage! I died when I saw the photo of Domhnall being groomed in the lap of luxury prior to his royal meeting with William and Kate. Your editorial choice of that close-up photograph of the Cambridges is wonderful and reminds me why I can’t wait wait for their Australia/NZ tour.

I love today’s look. The Gina Foster hat irked me when Kate debuted it at Sandringham (something about that oversized beret shell), but she seems so relaxed and happy that I can’t find fault with it. Saturated, deep greens work like gangbusters for her. I’m reminded that a good trench coat is currently missing from my wardrobe…

Wonderful look for Kate. I was a little worried that the coat might be too long. But, seeing a picture with the shorter dress/skirt underneath gave me hope. (I was afraid that the rumors the Queen does not like her shorter skirts might be true!)

And, yes, I realize that every green item she is wearing might not be a spot on match. I love this though; makes the “wearing of the green” less predictable!

I just can’t seem to get off the fence on this outfit. I keep wavering back and forth on this coat: I love the material, color, and silhouette (especially those pockets!), but the storm flaps really bother me. I almost want to appreciate them as interesting detailing; yet I can’t get over how menswear-in-a-bad-way they look. And I adore this hat, but Lili’s right: the colors are off and give the outfit a sloppy look. I wonder if her beige Whiteley hat would have been a better match, though I hesitate because it might be too early in the season for straw hats. One thing I will say is that I appreciate the longer length of the coat; this length has been nearly ubiquitous on the runways, and I suspect we will begin to see more of it. I haven’t attempted anything tea-length yet, as I’m not convinced us of the shorter legs can pull it off with the same aplomb as our 5′ 9″ Duchess, but I’m going to keep it in the back of my mind as a trend I might be willing to give a whirl.

I’m also not a matchy-matchy fan–contrasting colors is just too much fun!–so while I love all of these accessories in their own right, this dress, heels, and clutch combo just doesn’t do it for me. I really do like the belt and hope that it gets ID’d soon (it’s vaguely reminiscent of the Reiss “Bessie” belt she wore in Denmark… though in green, of course). And the Kiki McDonough earrings look spectacular paired with the shamrock pin and her bushy pin of shamrocks.

On to hair and beauty… BRAVO! Her hair is shiny and lustrous, and whoever did her blow-out gets 5-stars. I also love her green eye shadow and hope she plays with her makeup in a similar fashion in the future.

The coat is an authentic “trench” and therefore it has to have “storm flaps.” It doesn’t just look military, it is military since the trench coat comes from WW1 when men were in the trenches and needed a coat like this to hold essentials, protect them from the rain and keep them as warm as possible. That coat is beautiful. The only minor problem I have is that she isn’t wearing the self-belt and changed to a leather one. Looks nice and more dressy I suppose but it’s not authentic to what a trench is. I have a black one exactly like Kate’s (I would never wear green) and I’ve had it for 12 years and it’s still in style.

My classic Burberry trench is over 30 years old and still in style. I had Burberry reline it and replace the buckles on the sleeves and belt last year, but that was first refurbishment it had ever needed. It has held up remarkably well over the years.

My Burberry is actually olive-green khaki in color. I chose it as something rather more interesting than the standard beige khaki, though of course today, Burberry makes trench coats in a wide variety of colors and fabrics. I also own a black trench coat and one in silver-white that I use as a summer evening coat.

Well, sure, but I still don’t like the things. I knew that the storm flaps originally had a purpose, because I googled the term upon first reading the post (I’m always learning from WKW!), but that doesn’t change the fact that I find them aesthetically unappealing…

I’m not denying it’s a beautiful garment; it’s just not my personal favorite. What can I say? I’m more of a pea coat and blazer gal.

Love the coat; however, I have to agree that the color of the hat clashes with the coat and looks a bit off. Not a fan of the shoes either. I definitely prefer the chocolate brown accessories she wore the first year. It does look like she got a haircut and it’s looking much better.

My first reaction was that the coat is too long. I love a trench. I love the color of this one, and that Kate changed out the belt on this trench. But if you’re going to wear something this long, I think you have to wear it with boots, rather than shoes and hose, so that it’s one continuous line from hem to the ground.

I would love to have seen Kate hem this coat by about four inches, to just below the knee (it would still have been longer than her dress). If you look at the photos of Kate with the children, you can see that this coat would work better shorter. I had a classic Burberry trench this length that I had cut down to below the knee, and it looks much fresher.

Given her thrift and the fact that the Wales will be doing this ceremony for years to come, I’m sure we’ll see this coat again, and perhaps next year she’ll have it altered.

Oh, how I adore the classic trench and this one is very nice. I have a black trench that I have had and worn since 2001 and it still looks fashionable. You can’t go wrong with a trench. I like the way the Duchess changed the self-belt to a leather embossed one and I love the green hat and shoes. I also have to say how much I love William in that particular outfit. I love the ruffles (though I’m sure that’s is not what it’s really called) and that sash. He looks quite handsome. I agree they both look quite happy and perhaps this is one of their favorite outings.

First off I think Kate’s hair looked great today. She looked beautiful as always. I have to say though I don’t like this hat with the coat. The shades are not complimentary to each other. Also, to each their own, but I would not have worn all green. A green hat, with a green belt on a green coat, followed by a green clutch and green shoes. The accessories just get lost with that much green. I think a brown belt/hat/clutch would have stood out more.

Did anyone else notice that it looks like Kate is wearing a green eye-shadow? A fun change for her. Also, I can’t help notice how much longer her coat is than normal. I wonder if there is some truth to her wearing longer hem lines now. Anyone else’s thoughts?

I always wonder how much credence to give Katie Nicholl (the Daily Mail reporter and Kate biographer who started the the “longer hemlines and more tiaras” story). She’s a very engaging writer, but I get the sense that the majority of her tips and “insider information” is more sensational than substantive, and rarely corroborated. It makes a good story though, right?

It seems to me that Kate’s shorter hemlines last year were mostly due to her pregnancy. The midi length of Kate’s trench here is spot on trend at the moment–can’t wait to see her fashion choices on tour next month.

I don’t know much about British media, but I got the impression that the news about the Duchess’s “re-grooming” could have been somewhat sensationalized. She is lucky to have wonderful height to accommodate longer lengths. She looks incredibly elegant in these longer hemlines. If “royal” is what they want from her, she is already knocking it out of the park.

Oh, how I adore the classic trench and this one is very nice. I have a black trench that I have had and worn since 2001 and it still looks fashionable. You can’t go wrong with a trench. I like the way the Duchess changed the self-belt to a leather embossed one and I love the green hat and shoes. I also have to say how much I love William in that particular outfit. I love the ruffles (though I’m sure that’s is not what it’s really called) and that sash. He looks quite handsome. I agree they both look quite happy and perhaps this is one of their favorite outings.

I love the whole look! I think she looks beautiful, actually the best I’ve seen her look in a while. It appears she has cut off some of the length of her hair which makes it look vibrant and full. Her face looks fresh and makeup is looks like how she did it before George. The coat is really pretty and classic! The pre-baby Catherine look appears to be back!! Can’t wait for the Royal Tour in Austraila!!

I was off by guessing she would repeat the tartan dress from holiday…but she repeated the hat..so half point for me.
I am a trench coat person so you can’t get too much negativity from me on this one.
LOL I just had to comment on her petting the mascot dog every year…

Wow, I am having real trouble when I click on that “Continue reading” jump line. It won’t work properly for me and causes huge difficulties with the site as a whole. I keep having to leave and start over. However, I can see the whole post if I just go straight to “comments” and then scroll back up.

In any case, this ensemble is a bit of a problem for me, too. Somehow it just doesn’t have the elegance and flair of the Wickstead coat dress as worn by the Duchess with chocolate brown accessories the first time she carried out this engagement.

The first problem for me is the differing shades of green in the coat and hat. I’m not a fanatic about precisely matching colors by any means, but these shades clash just enough that I think the Duchess would have been better off if she’d gone with a black hat.

Moreover, while I loved the hat when she wore it with the McQueen Black Watch tartan coat, here it doesn’t look quite right with the tailored trench coat design. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the whole look is just somewhat “off”.

I knew this had to be a Hobbs coat the instant I saw it, but I feel rather lukewarm about it. There’s nothing specifically wrong with it; it’s just a bit boring. I also think that the length isn’t quite right. I have a thing about getting proportions correct — in my experience, just an inch can make an enormous difference to a look — and I think this coat could have been shortened a touch.

I love the green shoes, the shade of which works better with the coat than the hat color does, and I actually rather like the Hobbs flowered coat in the pine shade. That surprises me, since I’m not normally a fan of fussy, flowery textiles.

By the way, I always liked the outfit the Duchess wore to the Gilman wedding, especially the eggshell-blue jacket. I’d love to see her recycle that.

I meant to add, regarding the designers shown in the previous post, I think that Bae, Zimmermann, and Veronika Maine do have designs that could work for the Duchess, but some of their items are just a bit too edgy, too fashion-forward, for her. She doesn’t do edgy and fashion-forward, alas. I wish she’d experiment with a somewhat more progressive look now and then.

That’s such a good spot about the colour of the hat, I’m afraid I’d been in too much of a hurry to notice. Greens can be the worst colour to match up. If I were to try to pass it off as a “visual” match — ie near-enough at a quick glance — I’d only be trying to cover my own tracks. A visual match is a lame excuse I make when rushing for the door having only just noticed a mismatch in the mirror on my way out!

The hat also looks an odd shape, a bit bulbous and protruding somehow. And while the longer hemlines have been much in evidence I can’t help noticing how the model is shown wearing slim trousers which give a block of colour supporting the heavy coat, the same as if boots were worn.

That said, the Duchess still manages to look lovely! Thanks for your insights.

I love how festive the Duchess is this year in all green! I personally wouldn’t have worn all green accessories but she is enjoying the occasion and that is what is most important. I like that she chose to wear a different belt other than the one designed to go with the coat; I feel like the belt she wore dressed the coat up a little bit and makes it seem more formal. Speaking of the coat – way too long. I’m positive its much cooler there than it is in Alabama, however I think the length of the coat shortens her (in pictures). Minus a few inches, I love the coat!!!

I’m so excited to see what the April tour brings us! Thank you for a fabulous post.

Prefer last year’s coat, great hat (but yellow green to the coat’s blue green), wonderful shoes which match the coat, and I love the wide, very un-royal, cheeky grin. It just makes me want to smile too